Exhibitions 1998 - 2001

Since the first exhibition, which was held at the Three Horse Shoes in 1998, over 3,200 people some traveling from as far away as Cumbria, have visited the Baipip exhibitions. The collection itself as come a long way in the 10 years since that first exhibition of about 100 photographs. While it became interesting collecting old photographs, I decided it might also be a good idea to record present day events as they happen. This is why you will also find up to date photographs and stories both on this web site and in the Baipip archives. The web site itself came about after a number of exhibitions when visitors were asking for copies of photographs to sent to relatives who had emigrated or moved away from Brierley. I thought the time was right to set up a web sight where ex pats of Brierley could request photographs on line. The web site was launched in 2000 and was very popular but due to work commitments and not finding the time to work on the site I had to close it down. Over the next couple of years or so I was inundated with emails from people all over the world asking if I would consider re launching the site which I did on 1 April 2005. Up to this update, the web site has received over a quarter of a million visits since that re launch.

Although I prefer to capture history through my camera lens, the information on this web site and in the Baipip archives, has evolved from years of collating interesting facts about Brierley, whilst researching information about certain photographs I have acquired. 

It is my intention to leave the future generations of Brierley, an historic and photographic record of themselves and their ancestors that they can enjoy for years to come. Gary Hotchins webmaster

Brierley and its people in photographs

It all started about 20 years ago when I was stood at the bar in what was then the Brierley Ex-serviceman’s club. I happened to mention in general conversation that I had in my possession, a number of photographs which had been taken in what was now the bar area of the club when I was a child and when the club was my infant class when it was the Church Institute. There were a few younger chaps in the club that night that didn’t believe that the club had once been used as a school, and so I arranged to take the photographs into the club the following week to show them. I was amazed at the interest shown by the regulars in the club, and indeed I didn’t see the photographs again until the end of the night. It was after this that other older residents of Brierley started bringing their photographs to show me, and in most cases donating the photographs to add to my collection that at this point didn’t really exist as such. It was from these kind gestures that I thought it might be a good idea to start gathering together the information on the photographs and cataloguing them. From then until 1998, the collecting of photographs had been a small hobby, and although it was a hobby I enjoyed, it didn’t really take up much of my time. It was at this time, in 1998, that a friend who had seen the hundred or so pictures that I had collected since that night in the club, suggested that I put them on show in the Three Horse Shoes for people to browse through. I agreed to this and made arrangements with the manager of the Three Horse Shoes at that time Bob Grainger. Although the arrangements were made within a few days, I was surprised that about 100 people turned out to view the exhibition which I had decided to call Brierley and its people in photographs (Baipip). It was from that first exhibition that the people of Brierley really became bitten by the ‘old photographs’ bug, and, after each exhibition, more and more photographs and artefacts followed destined for the Baipip archives.

  Surprises

The exhibitions have also thrown up a few surprises. The first surprise I can recall after the first exhibition at the Three Horse Shoes, was at one that was held in Brierley Social club in 1999. The collection by this time had grown to over 600 photographs, and the set up looked quite impressive. The first three visitors that entered the room at 7pm were three elderly ladies from the Hilltop estate and the first photograph one of them looked at appeared to have her grandmother on it. To hear her surprised excited comments made the hard work of planning and setting up the exhibition all worthwhile. Another old lady visited the exhibition at the Methodist church in the same year and telephoned afterwards and thanked me, for at the exhibition, she had met up with an old school friend she had not seen or been in touch with for over 25 years. I also felt honored at the same exhibition when Richard Watson and Mary Harrison co-authors of ‘Brereley’ a History of Brierley accepted my invitation to attend. Two Town Mayor's councilor's Lavender and Whittaker have also attended the events, as well as our local MP Jeff Ennis, and the local newspapers have also shown a keen interest. It was through her reporting of one of the exhibitions that I met Gillian Picker from the Barnsley Chronicle, and we have remained firm friends ever since. It is nice to know that both Gillian and Richard Watson are on hand if I get lost along the way in my hobby.

All in all, the exhibitions have proved to be very popular, and BAIPIP is now in touch with many ex-pats of Brierley, Brian Perkins, Brian Bower, John Draper, Kevin Bates, Christopher and Paul Halford, and many more. Cliff Lloyd who now lives in Tadcaster is another ex Brierley chap who I met at the last exhibition held in Brierley club in December 2000. His guardian mother was the late Mrs Hilda Barraclough who was one of the founder members of the Spiritualist Church. Cliff also bumped into his old friend Barry White for the first time in 42 years at this exhibition.